Pickleball Rules and Ratings
Everything a new player needs, and a few things current players forget: the basic rules, court manners, how open play rotates, tips from our pro, and how to rate yourself.
The basic rules
Pickleball is played as doubles, two a side, or as singles. Doubles is the most common. The court and the rules are the same for both.
Toss a coin, or use any fair way, to decide who picks the side or the serve. Games go to 11, and you must win by 2. Only the serving side scores.
Two rules to learn on day one
- Let it bounce twice. The serve must bounce before it is returned, and the return must bounce before the serving side hits it. After that you can volley.
- Stay out of the kitchen. You can’t volley while standing in the non-volley zone, the seven feet on each side of the net.
How to serve
- Serve underhand: your arm moves up, you hit the ball below your waist, and the paddle head stays below your wrist.
- Or drop the ball and hit it after it bounces. With this drop serve, the two rules above don’t apply.
- Keep at least one foot behind the baseline, and don’t step past the sideline or the center line.
- Serve across, into the service court diagonally opposite.
- You get one try.
Who serves when
- Both players on the serving side serve before the serve passes to the other side, except at the start of each game, when only one does.
- The first serve each time is from the right-hand (even) court.
- Win a point and the server switches sides and serves again, from the left-hand (odd) court.
- Lose the rally and the partner serves next, from the side they are standing on.
- When the second server loses a rally, the serve goes to the other side.
Play fair, play nice
We follow the USA Pickleball code of conduct. Everyone on and around the courts, players and spectators, agrees to it.
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Be a good sport
No unsportsmanlike behavior, and don’t encourage it in others.
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Keep it safe
Do nothing that puts anyone’s health, safety or wellbeing at risk.
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Mind your language
No swearing.
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Respect everyone
Treat other players with respect, and be fair and honest with them.
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Stay humble
Don’t flaunt your position.
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The Golden Rule
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
The paddle rotation: two up, two down
When lots of people turn up, this keeps everyone playing. All games are doubles. It is the guide for up to seven players waiting, and can change with the number of players and courts.
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Line up your paddle
Put your paddle at the end of the line. The paddles on the left belong to the people who came first.
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Winners stay and split up
When a game ends, the winners stay on court and split up. The losers put their paddles at the end of the line.
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The next two go on
The two paddles at the front of the line go on court. No one plays more than two games in a row.
Tips for new players
Pontus’s advice for your first season, and for the season after that.
Your first games
Serve deep, not hard. Hit your return deep and high, then get to the non-volley line as soon as you can. Keep your paddle up near your chest and keep the ball in play. Most rallies are lost on mistakes.
Raising your game
Learn to dink, crosscourt and straight ahead, and be patient. Learn when to hit hard and when to hit soft. Aim at your opponents’ feet or weaker side. Watch their paddle. Stop and get set before they hit.
What is your level?
Ratings go from 1.0 for beginners to 5.0 for top players, in half steps. Leagues and round robins use them to match you with players like you.
- To earn a rating, you need everything in that level, not just some of it.
- In the Flex League, you rate yourself for your first season. After that, your results decide.
- In doubles, a team plays at the level of its higher-rated partner.
- You can always play up a level. Never down.
Not sure? A lesson or a beginner clinic with Pontus will tell you.
1.0 to 2.0: just starting
New to pickleball, with no other racquet sport behind you. Still learning the rules.
2.5: some experience
You can keep a short rally going with players of your level, and you can keep score.
3.0: knows the game
- Hits medium-paced forehands, serves and returns, without much control of depth or direction.
- Avoids the backhand.
- Can’t keep a dink rally going yet. Third shots and volleys come back at medium pace with little aim.
- Knows the rules, keeps score, is learning where to stand, and is starting to play tournaments.
3.5: building control
- Better strokes with some control. Learning the backhand, but still avoids it.
- Gets serves and returns in, with limited depth.
- Keeps medium-length dink rallies going and is learning the drop shot.
- Moves up to the non-volley zone when the chance comes, and knows the basics of stacking.
4.0: consistent and tactical
- Hits forehands with depth and control, and backhands with some success.
- Places most serves and returns, with varied depth and speed.
- Mixes soft and hard third shots. Can block and reset volleys.
- Moves as a team, knows the rules well, and starts to play to an opponent’s weaknesses.
4.5: advanced
- Very consistent, using pace and depth to force errors or set up the next shot.
- Serves with power, accuracy, depth and spin.
- Places dinks with purpose and spots the ones to attack.
- Blocks hard volleys into the kitchen, puts away overheads, stacks easily, and makes few unforced errors.
5.0: top player
- Hits every shot well from both sides, with touch, spin and pace.
- Has mastered the dink, the drop and the third shot, and moves opponents around at will.
- Turns defense into attack, adjusts the game plan to any opponent, and rarely makes an unforced error.
Ready to play
Ready to play?
Start with Clinic 101 if you have never played, or a beginner social to meet other new players.